Fire destroys Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra's home. Nobody was hurt

CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) — Fire destroyed Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra's home early Thursday, with officials saying more than 20 units were dispatched in what became a frantic, futile effort to save the property.

Nobody was in the home when the fire broke out, and no injuries were reported. Spoelstra plans to coach Miami's next game, a home matchup against the Charlotte Hornets on Friday night, the team said.

“We are grateful to learn that nobody was harmed in the fire at coach Spoelstra's residence this morning,” the Heat said in a release. “Our thoughts, prayers and assistance are with Spo and his family during this time.”

An investigation into what caused the fire was underway, officials said. Those probes can take weeks in some cases.

Spoelstra was on an airplane when the fire started, flying home with the Heat from a Wednesday night game in Denver. The fire was called in around 4:36 a.m., county records showed, and the Heat charter landed in Miami about 35 minutes later.

Multiple fire trucks and other vehicles were at the fully involved scene when Spoelstra arrived at the property. Television cameras captured Spoelstra walking around the perimeter of the property in the pre-dawn hours, sometimes stopping and holding his head in apparent disbelief as flames continued shooting into the darkened air.

Drone footage captured after the blaze was extinguished showed that much of the home was reduced to charred rubble.

Smoke was still seen rising over parts of the property more than three hours after the first fire trucks arrived, but officials declared the blaze contained around 8 a.m. Some crews remained on the scene, monitoring hotspots, until early Thursday afternoon.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue battalion chief Victoria Byrd said the fire — with flames “as tall as the trees,” she said — was fought with crews both on the ground and in the air. The fire was contained to the property owned by Spoelstra and no nearby homes were damaged, Byrd said, adding that a privacy fence and tree cover impeded the initial firefighting efforts.

“Our units came in and did an excellent job,” Byrd said.

Property records show Spoelstra bought the five-bedroom home in December 2023. He had done extensive work to the property following the purchase.

Spoelstra — who has been part of all three of Miami's NBA championship runs, two as head coach — is in his 18th season as coach of the Heat, an organization he originally joined as a video coordinator in 1995. He finalized a deal last month to serve as coach of the U.S. Olympic men's basketball team at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

The Heat were off Thursday. Spoelstra is scheduled to have a pregame media session Friday, as per usual.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

Firefighters work to extinguish the remains of a fire at a home owned by Miami Heat basketball coach Erik Spoelstra, Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Firefighters work at the scene of a fire at a home owned by Miami Heat basketball coach Erik Spoelstra, Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Firefighters work to extinguish the remains of a fire at a home owned by Miami Heat basketball coach Erik Spoelstra, Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Firefighters work to extinguish the remains of a fire at a home owned by Miami Heat basketball coach Erik Spoelstra, Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra, front, heads to the lockerroom after greeting Denver Nuggets head coach David Adelman following an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra yells to his players during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the San Antonio Spurs, Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Darren Abate)

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Six-time All-Star J.D. Martinez is joining the New York Mets as a special assistant to baseball operations.

The 38-year-old Martinez last played in 2024 for the Mets, the final season of his 14-year career with six teams.

“Everybody saw what he meant to the team in 2024 when he first came out, not only on the field, but off the field,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “Great guy in the clubhouse. He’s just super consistent, very knowledgeable and a very positive guy that’s won a World Series, being in the playoffs. I think overall, huge, huge addition. I was super excited when I found out.”

Mendoza envisions Martinez’s role as being similar to that of Carlos Beltran, another former Mets player who was hired as a special assistant to the general manager in 2023.

“Not only with the position players, but with the pitchers,” Mendoza said. “You know, there’s so much information. The value of having pitchers talking to a hall of famer in Carlos Beltran and now a guy like J.D. Martinez, in the mind and everything that they bring to the table. So that’s how we see it moving forward.”

Mendoza said talks with Martinez about the position started in spring training.

“I think it’s just like the two parties needing to come together, you know, and having J.D. to be willing to do it,” Mendoza said. “I mean, he’s having a pretty good life right now.”

Martinez batted .283 and had 331 home runs in 6,512 at-bats over 1,642 career games for Houston, Detroit, Arizona, Boston, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Mets.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

FILE - New York Mets designated hitter J.D. Martinez watches his run scoring a single during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds on Sept. 6, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger, File)